Rival Lines: "Clement should have gone after the last game!"

Rival Lines
Match Preview: Swansea v AFCB
Blogger Interview: SOS Fanzine
Twitter: @StevenSOS1987 @SOSFanzine

I've spoke to Steve at SOS Fanzine a couple of times before and so I knew we'd get a really honest opinion of his team when I invited him to come on Rival Lines. He is no doubt hurting a bit by recent results as all Swansea fans have been, but I wanted to see if he really felt their was a glimmer of light that Paul Clement and the players are about to turn things around and if not what did Swansea need in January to pick up better results?

CC: What is the overriding opinion of Paul Clement with the Swansea fans - has he got what it takes to keep you up? 

SOS: No, I think it’s time for a change again unfortunately. He did really well to keep us up last term and in all fairness he was let down by our bad dealings in the transfer market over the summer. However, he has no idea on his best 11 of formation and we are a third of the way into the season. The football is so negative that people are bored out of their minds and recent performances have been abysmal. He should have gone after the game last week.

CC: I know he has been injured, but can Wilfried Bony still be the player he was a few years ago at Swansea?

SOS: I have my doubts. He was brilliant the first time around and there's no shame no ousting the likes of Sergio Aguero at Man City, but alarm bells were ringing for me when he was behind Berahino and Crouch at Stoke. We should have taken him on loan, not permanently.

CC: Why has the home form been so poor this season?

SOS: Negative tactics, wrong players and formations. Plus the fact that we’re just not very good anymore, it’s be hard for anyone to get this lot to improve to the point where we’re a reasonable side again.

CC: Fabianski has been on the end of a lot of opposition shots. What have you made of his performances?

SOS: He’s been one of the one shining lights. He was brilliant last season and has carried on where he left off. We’d have a much worse goal difference it if wasn’t for him.

CC: Do you feel it was a bad decision to sell Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente in the same transfer window last summer and is that what you are paying for?

SOS: Partly yes, selling Sigurdsson and not buying a direct replacement was insanity. We have no creativity in this team and no one who can’t take a decent set piece which is hurting us big time. Llorente has been a loss as well although he would have struggled with most Sigurdsson’s service. If we’d adequately replaced both then we maybe ok but we didn’t.

CC: How close are Swansea to turning around results? 

SOS: I don’t think we are at all, my main hope is we stay in touch until January and address the imbalances in the squad to try and dig ourselves out of trouble. Performances are getting worse, not better at the moment.

Advertisement

Broom Hill Garden Buildings

CC: How good is Tammy Abrahams? 

SOS: Excellent, how he has four goals in a team that creates nothing I don’t know. He’s one of the only players who looks especially bothered by our predicament as well. Our fans love him.

CC: Do you expect Swansea to be busy in the January transfer window?

SOS: No idea with our board these days, but we have to be. A number 10 is vital, a right back, and a winger I would say. Need to ship a few out too who aren’t good enough.

CC: If you could swap a Swansea player for a Bournemouth player which players would you move?

SOS: Josh King has given us a few problems in the past, has pace to burn, scores a few and would likely set up a few. He’s the player from you who would make the biggest impact at Swansea. [Ed- And what about players going the other way? - Any but Fabianski and Abrahams I'll guess!]

CC: How do you expect Swansea to set up for this game against Bournemouth?

SOS: Clement loves to change things. Last week it was 4-3-3 but I have a feeling it might be 5-3-2 this week with Abraham and Bony both starting.

CC: Thanks for the answers Steve! The mood in the Swansea camp might not be so encouraging at the moment but a win would very quickly put a different look to the table and to the positions of Bournemouth and Swansea. That is why this game is one that Eddie Howe has been keen to highlight as a very important game. Paul Clement looked like he was running out of ideas in his post-match press conference after the Burnley defeat and by the words of SOS Fanzine it might not be long before the fans want him out if he can't do better, especially at home. So I expect a tense atmosphere at the Liberty and a high-paced first 20 minutes as I think whoever gets ahead in this game will pick up the points. You can read more reports on Swansea City and their players on SOS Fanzine.


AskFans Report AFCB 4 v 0 Huddersfield Town
Cherry Chimes' match preview on AskFans for AFCB v Swansea

Also look out for Cherry Chimes appearing on SOS Fanzine's Opposition's View